The Big Brother Talk
by melodylaner
Summary: If you were wondering why Harry was so afraid of Ron, while he was lusting after Ginny for all these weeks before he finally kissed her, here's the answer. HBP compliant


The Big Brother Talk

Harry looked briefly at Ron, who was staring desperately at the parchment in his hands as if waiting for his Herbology essay to start writing itself. When he was sure that his friend wasn't about to look up anytime soon, he chanced a glance at Ginny. She always managed to take his breath away.

She sat in her favorite armchair with her legs stretched before her. She had taken her shoes off a while ago, and Harry caught himself thinking that he had never seen anything cuter than Ginny Weasley's white socks. The top buttons of her shirt were undone, and Harry watched in fascination as she tucked a lock of her brilliant red hair behind her ear. She bit her lip in concentration and wrote down something on the long piece of parchment on her lap.

Harry had spent the whole afternoon in the common room supposedly studying when in reality he kept staring at Ginny when he thought no one was looking. He was sure that if Hermione was around, he wouldn't risk to look at Ginny half the times he already had. But as his bushy-haired friend had gone to the library, he felt free to admire the object of his affection. Still, he couldn't have been that obvious or Ron would have noticed by now. He just realized that Hermione knew him better than he originally thought. He wished she didn't though, given all the knowing smiles and meaningful looks she'd been giving him since Dean and Ginny's break-up.

Ginny put down her quill and reached for her Potions book. Harry couldn't help thinking it was a wonder that she hadn't caught him staring at her yet.

"Until now," he thought in panic as Ginny looked up from her homework and met his gaze.

"Everything all right, Harry?" she asked him, smiling warmly.

"Yeah, just finishing this essay for McGonagall," he answered and looked down at his Transfiguration notes.

He wished himself not to blush as he felt Ron turn his head towards him. He hurriedly put a hand on his essay. The last thing he wanted was for Ron to know that he hadn't written more than two lines in the last two hours. Actually, the last thing he wanted was Ron finding out that he secretly fancied his sister, but it was a close call at the moment.

He heard Ginny sigh and turned to see her stand up and reach for her abandoned shoes.

"I'm going to the Great Hall for dinner," she announced as she put them on. "Are you guys coming?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but Ron was already speaking.

"Nah, we'll wait for Hermione. We'll come and find you later. I haven't finished this, anyway." He gestured to his essay.

He bent to take a new quill from his bag and missed the murderous look on Harry's face.

"Yeah," thought Harry as he glared daggers at the back of Ron's head. "Let's just wait for Hermione, the biggest bookworm of Hogwarts and possibly of all England, to come back from her favorite place in the world, the _library_. Then chances are that we _might_ catch up with Ginny tomorrow at LUNCHTIME!"

"See you later."

He followed her with his eyes as she left.

Why did he have to blush before? One of the many things that he loved about Ginny was that she didn't make him feel awkward around her. She wasn't Cho Chang.

"Well," he thought. "It's one thing to hang out and joke with her and another to get caught staring at her. Who wouldn't blush?"

Ginny was amazing. He wondered, not for the first time, why he couldn't just walk up to her and ask her out.

"Will they stop ogling at her?" said Ron's voice.

Oh, yeah. That was why.

He turned to find Ron giving threatening looks around the room. It seemed that they weren't the only people to notice Ginny's departure. Half the common room was looking hypnotized at the doorway. He glared at two fourth-years and silently prayed that he didn't look half as bad as they did.

"Really, mate. You should help me out." Ron said as he looked at him seriously.

"Help you out with what?" asked Harry, dreading the answer.

"Keeping all these guys away from Ginny."

Okay, that he could do. Gladly. "Sure, Ron."

"I knew you would agree, mate. You're like a seventh brother to her, anyway. You should be watching out for her like the rest of us."

Harry's heart sank. He had spent half the year trying to convince himself that his feelings for Ginny were strictly brotherly. But no matter what he told himself, he couldn't deny the fact that, while Hermione was like his sister too, he'd never felt the urge to beat Krum to a pulp or to be the one who snogged her instead of him. Even the thought of that made him nauseous.

However, the possibility that Ginny could only see him as one of her brothers had never occurred to him. Didn't she have a crush on him four years ago? Surely things couldn't have changed so dramatically since then. She had got over him (according to Hermione), but now he was her friend, not her brother. Definitely not her brother.

"Harry! Earth to Harry! Have you been listening to me at all?"

Ron was looking at him, clearly amused.

Harry forced himself back to reality. "Erm, yeah. Totally. You were saying…?"

"Who were you thinking about, mate?" Ron asked smirking.

"What do you mean? I wasn't thinking about anyone!" Harry answered in a hurry.

"You had that funny look on your face. You were thinking about a girl, weren't you?" Ron asked slyly.

"No, I wasn't. Now, what's your plan about Ginny?"

"It's not Cho Chang again, is it?" asked Ron, looking slightly appalled by the idea.

"No! Of course not! I told you I don't like Cho anymore."

"So there _is_ a girl, but it's not Cho Chang," Ron exclaimed triumphantly.

"No! There is nobody. Seriously, Ron, what did you have in mind, you know… about Ginny?"

Ron didn't look convinced at all, but he seemed to decide to give up on the subject for now.

"Well, I thought we'd guard her a bit. You know, walk her to classes, go to Quidditch practice with her… that sort of thing. That should make it hard for boys to get her alone and ask her out. Might also stop them checking her out. It would be easier for us if Fred and George were still here. Then it'd be four of us, and those two are very creative when it comes to protecting Ginny. I remember that time when…"

Harry swallowed with difficulty as Ron described in every detail what Fred and George did to one of their cousins who dared kick Ginny in the shin when she was six. Needless to say, he'd never felt more relieved that the twins weren't there.

"… but I think between the two of us, it'll be okay."

Harry thought that if Ron's idea of protecting Ginny would help him spend more time with her, then he would take it upon himself to guard her twenty-four hours a day.

"Sounds good to me," he answered with a smile.

"Great! You know, mate, if we do our job well, her next boyfriend will be the last one!"

"What do you mean?" asked Harry nervously. "Are you going to kill him to scare all the others off?"

"No! I mean that she'll marry him!"

"Oh. That works, too."

"What are you two talking about?"

Harry nearly jumped off the couch at the sound of Hermione's voice.

"Hermione, what are you doing here?" he asked in what he hoped was an indifferent tone.

"The library closed," she said as she sat down on the armchair that Ginny had recently vacated. "So! What were you two discussing?"

"Ginny," said Ron.

"Oh!" exclaimed Hermione and turned to look at Harry, her eyebrows raised in surprise. She seemed very impressed that Harry would address such a subject to Ron.

Harry thought he'd better explain before she said something and messed things up for him. "And ways to protect her from all those guys who keep ogling her," he added.

Hermione's look changed to one that Harry understood as "You mean besides you?" but he chose to ignore it.

"This was your idea, right?" she asked Ron disapprovingly.

"Maybe. Is it so bad that I want to protect my little sister?"

"Ginny is a big girl, you know. She can take care of herself. She doesn't need you to play big brother," Hermione pointed out.

"Look, she just broke up with Dean. I just don't want to see her get hurt again," Ron said slightly annoyed.

"Need I remind you that she was the one to break it off with Dean? Personally, I've never seen her happier!"

"That's exactly my point," said Ron. "She's happier without a boyfriend! So by keeping boys away from her, I'm ensuring her happiness!"

"You're unbelievable! She'll be happy with the right guy!" She cast Harry an encouraging smile that was meant to urge him to get his act together before Ron locked Ginny up somewhere.

"And did you have to get Harry into this, too?" she added when she realized that Ron caught her looking at Harry and was looking between the two of them rather suspiciously.

"I didn't force him! He offered his help!"

"Did he, really?" she asked as she glared at Harry.

"I might have," Harry answered tentatively.

"See? Nothing against his free will!" Ron pointed out.

"What about Ginny's free will? Do you think she wants you two following her around? Especially you! At least Harry's not her brother!"

"He's as good as one! He's her honorary brother!"

"Harry's her friend! Some best friend you are, taking him down with you!" she yelled.

As much as Harry appreciated Hermione's words, he really had to leave before things got much worse, and much louder.

"What do you mean 'taking him down with me?'" Ron shouted back.

"Ginny's going to be furious with y-"

"Erm, guys? Don't let me spoil your fun. You keep bickering. I think I'll join Ginny in the Great Hall," Harry informed them as he stood up.

"You think?" Hermione asked him with a smirk.

He ignored her and turned to leave, but not before he saw Ron give him a thumbs up behind her back.

"I'm coming soon, mate!" he heard him yell.

Harry groaned as the portrait closed behind him, blocking Hermione's angry retort.

-Fin-


End file.
